TANK, Pakistan -- Unknown assailants fired guns, rockets and hand grenades at the home of a senior Pakistani government official Thursday, leaving at least 13 people dead.

The attack in the northwestern Pakistani town of Tank apparently targeted the official, identified only as Amiruddin, but he survived while several relatives perished, the BBC reported.

While the town stands at the edge of the South Waziristan tribal region, where al-Qaida and the Taliban seek refuge, district police officer Mumtaz Zareen said it would be "premature to name elements behind the attack."

Last year, Taliban militants were blamed for the collapse of the civil administration in the district, with police abandoning their posts.